Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-04-08
aud compare notes and lay out their work
as may then seem best Rutland Her
THE BOSTON ALuMNl's BANQUET.

The Boston Journal of Friday last had
the following report of the gathering of
the previous evening:
The association of alumni of Middle
bury college resident in Boston and vicn-
ity held its annual meeting and dinner at
Young's last evening. Prof. w. II. Ship
man presided at the business meeting, at
which the constitution was amended in
some minor particulars. The Rev. Endi-
colt Peabody of Groton was elected an
honorary member and these officers were
chosen President, Prof. +. ii. Hgley: .
vice-president, Hon. Baxter +. Perry;
secretary, the Rev. j. W. Atwood treas
urer, Sumner Albee; executive commit
tee, George w. Ware, Jr., G.. G. Farwell,
G.. H. Remele, +. W. Howe, Prof. Ship
man and the president and secretary ex
officiis.
Hon. Baxter E. Perry, class of 40,
presided at the dinner, at which there
were present Prof Ezra Brainerd, LID,
class of "a, President of the College;
Hon. John w. Stewart, class of 40, ex-
governor of Vermont and now member
of Congress from that State; Prof. w.
w. Eaton, f. III. Higley, class of '6S, and
Henry &. Scott of the faculty; George
W. Ware, Jr., of Boston, '6S, one of the
trustees of the college; the Rev. Il. j.
Sawyer, ID. D., of Somervile, 30: Prof.
w. X. Shipman, Tufts college, SO; DR..
p. b. Goodsell of Boston, %; the Rev.
George w. Brooks of Charlestown. ~;
the Rev. Henry NJ. Perkins of Dunsta-
BILE, 81; Z. w. Howe, Boston, 80; Geo.
II. Remele, Esq, of Boston, p: C. G.
Farwell of Boston. '7G; DR.. f. II. Bax-
ter of Hyde Park, 20; 5. b. Cady of
Somervlle, 80; DR.. j. b. O'Nei of Bos-
ton. SO: 7. G. Miller of Boston, 80: the
Rev. julius w. Atwood of Ipswich, rs.
When the last item on the card was
reached, President Perry quoted from
Bv"nn and Young apt illusions to the
pleasures of dining, expressing the hope
that, the natural man being happy and
satisfied, the spiritual man could be
speedily put as easily in corresponding
condition through the interchange of
"reminiscences, hopes, remembrance, plans
for alma mater and for each other. The
attendance, he said, emphasizes the fact
that our love for and interest in our col
lege is thoroughly alive. We want to
help our college in every way in which
we can, and to encourage her to new
strength and to the expectancy of that
brighter and better day for her which we
are all sure Is coming for her. She has
history, large etficiencies, capabilities and
ought to have Il larger aud brighter
prospect.
President Ezra Brainerd was received
with applause as he rose to speak He
addressed himself particularly to the
work of the college and its needs, saying
that it was the most aggressive college
in the country except Harvard, ready to
adopt anything new if properly recon-
mended and worthy of trial. So far as
its work goes, great activity is being
shown in all of its departments, improve
ments in methods are constantly intro
duced, resulting in good, honest work in
and for the college, and the prospect is
for steady Increase both in numbers
and in wealth. To bring about this. how
ever, the influence and help of the alumni
is needed, and this Prof Brainerd be-
spoke from all his hearers.
The Rev. Mr.. Sawyer, who entered the
college in 1925, told of the condition of
the college at that time. of the then
+ teachers and their methods and manners
and reminded the company that. what
ever had been the Weaknesses of resource
of the college. it had always done good
| work and its graduates were always able
to hold their own with those from other
institutions. He told many entertaining
stories of the early college life, and added
that there was no reason why the college
should not prosper from the State of
( Vermont alone, to say nothing of what
may come from other States. He was
doubtful, he said, pleasantly, about fol-
lowing Cambridge in all its vagaries.
Motion is not always progress, and he
feared that Harvard instead of making
scholars in the old sense of scholarship,
men of broad attanments, was rather
e tending to the result of sending forth
q men who could be called specialists only.
He hplipVaI That ch
that which would give them place and
f prominence in the world to come, avoid
. ing attention to unnecessary amusement
: and using to the best of their oppOrtuni-
: ties their advantages for preparation for
z the hard work of life.
: Hon. j. w. Stewart said that it was
possibly rash thing for an unregenerate
son of Vermont to make an appearance
before a set of Boston men without hay-
-, ing experienced that new birth which all
u Bostonans have experienced, or at least
are supposed to experience. Abiding to
n the material prosperity of the college, he
b. gave high praise to the administration of
President Brainerd and his associates and
declared that never did the future look
: so encouraging as now. The faculty is
e composed of men in the prime of life, all
f doing successful work. and resulting in
a vastly improved feeling among the stu
dents. There need be no fear for the
d proper conservatism of the college. and
, the presidents statement that it is ready
for proper changes does not mean that,
: under the present administration, there
d is any dangerous tendency to wild or Wis
e ionary schemes. He took occasion to
+ criticse the curriculum in some respects,
:, these criticisms applying, he said, pretty
u equally to all colleges; he found fault
II with the minuteness which is entered
into in many comparatively unimportant
studies, resulting in burdening the mind
of the student with a lot of worthless
n trash. Financially the revenue of the
e college very nearly meets its expenses,
n and efforts are being made to raise fund
8 which will make it Independent. 1t will
u not even then be "A rich college; that is
e not wanted. When Il college becomes
il rich and expands into a university it
, loses TO a degree IFS usefulness Rut IL